Audrey Hepburn's Secret Moments

Did you know she had a pet deer named Pippin?

By
Amanda Brohman

Nov 7, 2018

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Although Old Hollywood legends and royal princesses alike may have been revered for their enviable style and penchant for luxury, they also grappled with troubled upbringings and tumultuous relationships throughout their lifetimes. Delving past the curtain of glamorous celebrity, Secret Moments is a series humanizing the icons of yesterday.

Audrey Hepburn is hard not to love. A timeless icon of style and beauty, she radiated effortless elegance and smarts no matter what she took on, whether that was eating breakfast at Tiffany's, inspiring Hubert Givenchy, or being a tireless ambassador for UNICEF for over 40 years. Did you also know that she was a lifelong introvert, and that her favorite color was cyan? Here, CR rounds up some little known facts about the the actress, from her favorite dish (hint: its Italian) to her unexpected pet.

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Her dad was a Nazi sympathizer

In 1935, when Hepburn (who was born in Belgium to a British father and a Dutch mother) was six years old, her parents divorced after it became known that her father was a known Nazi sympathizer.

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She suffered from malnutrition during World War II

Food shortages quickly reached crisis levels during the Second World War due to Germany's restriction on the Netherlands because of the threat of an Allied invasion. Hepburn was a teenager and quickly started suffering from malnutrition, eating rarely and when she did eat, it was a diet consisting of lettuce, peas, and tulip bulbs.

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She could have been a ballerina

Before becoming an actress, she trained to become a ballet dancer in London. But her career as a ballerina was stunted due to long lasting effects of the malnutrition she had suffered during the war.

For a long time, many believed that Hepburn's favorite color was white. However, this turned out to not be the case, since Hepburn's favorite color was, in fact, cyan–a light shade of blue. In 2013, this was confirmed by her son, Luca Dotti.

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She was a lifelong introvert

Hepburn was a lifelong introvert , and was once quoted saying that she has to, "Be alone very often. I’d be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That’s how I refuel.”

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She's a member of the coveted EGOT club.

Being one of only 14 in the world who has won an Emmy (for Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn), a Grammy (for Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales), an Oscar (for Roman Holiday), and a Tony (for Ondine.)

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She could speak five languages

Hepburn was a frequent flyer and spoke many languages, including: English, Spanish, French Dutch, and Italian.

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She had a pet deer called Pippin

After filming of the movie Green Canal wrapped in 1959, Hepburn was allowed to take the deer home with her. She named it Pippin, and it followed her everywhere she went, including the supermarket.

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She was introduced to her first husband by Gregory Peck

Hepburn had two marriages during her lifetime. The first was to actor Mel Ferrer (pictured) who she was introduced at a cocktail party by her Roman Holiday co-star Gregory Peck. The two married eight months later, in September of 1954, and had one son together before divorcing 14 years later.

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She was deathly afraid of water

Hepburn had to be thrown into a pool for a scene in the movie Two For the Road with Albert Finney. Extremely scared of drowning, the film crew had to be in the pool with her ready to grab the actress in case something were to happen.

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She hated Danish pastries

Even though Holly Golightly loved them in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Hepburn herself really didn't like the pastry, and initially tried to convince director Blake Edwards to let her eat an ice cream cone, instead.

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She didn't like to wear a watch

She once was quoted saying that she disliked the, "Sensation of cold or weight," the accessory brought to her skin.

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...But she loved pearls

Known for her minimal and classic style, it's no surprise that Hepburn's favorite accessory was pearls. She frequently was seen wearing a pearl necklace and a pair of matching pearl earrings that her first husband, Mel Ferrer, once gifted to her.

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She had big feet

In spite of being famously petite, Hepburn's feet were surprisingly big, and she wore a size 10 on most of her shoes.

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She was Givenchy's muse

Hubert Givenchy designed the wardrobes for many of her most famous movies, including Sabrina and Funny Face–not to mention the famous black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Hepburn remained a close friend and fan of the designer throughout her life.

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She was a UNICEF ambassador for 38 years

After having spent almost 40 years working for the foundation, Hepburn became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1989, and later went on to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work in 1992.

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She never considered herself a style icon

Arguably one of the most effortless and enviable style and beauty icons of all time: Hepburn herself never considered herself that, and was once quoted saying that her appearance, "Is accessible to everyone. With hair tied in a bun, big sunglasses and black dress, every woman can look like me.”

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Her favorite dish was Spaghetti al Pomodoro

Who doesn't love a good plate of pasta? Hepburn was no exception in this case, with her favorite food being spaghetti–specifically so Spaghetti al Pomodoro, which reportedly made at least once per week.

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...She also ate plenty of potatoes

According to her son, a staple in Dutch-born Hepburn's diet were potatoes. "Potatoes for her, they were a sustainable thing," Dotti said.

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She was not Truman Capote's first choice for Holly Golightly

When it was time for Truman Capote to adapt his novel Breakfast at Tiffany's for the screen, Hepburn was not his first choice. Let's just say we are happy that he changed his mind.

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She loved to read

...And her favorite book was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

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She smoked a lot

Hepburn was an avid smoker, reportedly smoking three packs of cigarettes every day (sometimes even more.)

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She had a perfume made specifically for her

The French perfume-house Creed created the scent "Spring Flower" 1951 for Hepburn's private use only. The scent did not become available to the public until 1996, and now has a $360 retail price.

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Her favorite soap was organic

Hepburn used Erno Lazlo's Organic Sea Mud Soap on the daily, it's 97 percent natural and you can buy it here.

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She loved pink

...and once, famously, said that she believed in pink, kissing, and that laughing is the best calorie burner.

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She had a flower

Specifically so, a white tulip. In 1990, a hybrid of the flower was developed in Hepburn's native Holland, and they named it after her to honor her long career, her iconic beauty, and her work for UNICEF.

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She spent the last part of her life in Switzerland

In 1996, Hepburn and her family moved to a tiny village on the shores of Lake Genova, right by Lausanne in Switzerland–where she spent the last 30 years of her life.

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The '80s was her favorite decade

In 1980, she fell in love with Dutch actor Robert Wolders, who would remain her partner until the end of her life. In 1989, she reportedly told Barbara Walters that the past decade had been her favorite one.

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She passed away at the age of 63

Hepburn was diagnosed with abdominal cancer at the age of 62 and her life was tragically cut short after being diagnosed with cancer

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